Setbacks!

Turns out, my iron training partner is not made of steel after all. Andi crashed her bike on a ride in Bellport, Long Island, and ten days later, she was still in major pain on her left side.

Iron Arm! But still room for a nice watch, ring and a pretty manicure.
We may be broken, but we can still care how we look!

Her shoulder was stiff and swollen, which left her unable to swim for long. When she got in the pool for a swim with me, her entire left arm was in such pain she had to get out. She finally (!!) got it x-rayed, and lo and behold, it was indeed broken. Her elbow had smashed against the pavement, and she had not only broken the bone but dislocated it. So now she has to ride inside on her trainer and use her road bike which sets her up less forward and down, so her elbow takes less of the weight of her body. Oh, and while swimming and kicking in that miserable pool session she tweaked her hamstring so now running is painful too. So it was a setback of forced early taper. Time to put her feet up, rest, heal and let her body have a break.

Me? After weeks of hoping my bike frame was sound enough to make it through my upcoming Ironman race (in May, I got rear-ended in Massachusetts; the guy didn’t mean to hurt me or my bike, but accidents happen), the bike is creaking. Not just a little but a lot. The folks at the bike store told me it would probably hold up through the next month but every pedal stroke is a creakfest. It’s like snap crackle POP every time the crank goes full circle. I took it in and the bike guru in Bellport took it apart and put it back together and assured me it isn’t the gearing or the pedals… it’s the frame. Carbon breaks down. It gets weaker once compromised and I fear I will need to get a new frame and put all the pedals and gears and bars and brakes and saddle, all my usual favorite accessories, on the new frame. If I can find one in a size small in time. It’s wreaking havoc on my mental confidence, to think my bike could fall apart under me while climbing the big mountain over Lake Zurich, or at mile 80, or going 35 miles an hour downhill. First order of business: find a replacement frame!

So though these setbacks are dramatic, they’re part of the process, part of training for Ironman, part of life. It’s not how you act when things go well that is a true test of character. It’s how you act when things go badly or start to fall apart.

I feel lucky to be healthy and mending. If I have to, I’ll race on my training bike. Andi? She feels lucky her crash wasn’t worse, and is looking forward to healing fully before November, when she goes to the World Championships in her age group in 70.3 distance, which she qualified for last month. (In triathlete lingo, that’s a Half Ironman. The total mileage between the swim, bike and run is 70.3 miles.)

It’s a long season. It’s a long life. The key is to enjoy every day, every workout, every opportunity, and take it one day at a time. Andi is on the mend. I am replacing my bike. Wish us luck!